Tucson Mayor Romero Announces Gun Safety Task Force, Joins MAIG

TUCSON, AZ — In her first official press conference — nearly 9 years to the day since the shooting of Councilwoman Gabrielle Giffords Jan. 8, 2011 — Tucson Mayor Regina Romero announced Thursday the creation of a local gun safety task force. She also announced Thursday that she is joining the Mayors Against Illegal Guns alliance.

The bipartisan nonprofit Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition comprises more than 1,000 former and current mayors devoted to decreasing gun violence. The alliance was founded in 2013 by former New York City mayor, now-Democratic party 2020 presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg. The alliance's goal is to promote gun safety reforms at the city, federal and state levels.

Meanwhile, the Mayor’s Task Force on Gun Safety and Violence Prevention in Tucson will comprise public safety officers, gun-violence survivors, neighborhood leaders, students and mental health professionals, among others. “I will be tasking them with helping me identify what actions we can take at the local level to promote community safety and reduce gun violence in our city,” Romero said. She then referenced statistics indicating that among the state's three highest-populated counties, Pima County has the most gun violence deaths per capita.

The task force will provide public education and awareness of gun safety. The task force will also provide behavioral health awareness funding and support for first responders to help them when interacting with mentally ill individuals.

The task force additionally will be called on to “promote strategies that ensure public safety for residents and communities disproportionately affected by gun violence,” Romero explained. “We must acknowledge that gun violence disproportionately affects black, native American and Latino populations, as well as low-income communities. Women and people of color bear the worst of gun violence in this country.

“No matter our background, we deserve to live free of fear,” she said.

Gun violence data collection is another assignment the task force will tackle, through analysis of nonfatal injuries, homicides and suicides committed with guns. Incidents will be mapped so that officials can identify those individuals and communities affected most.

Roxanna Green, whose 9-year-old daughter Christina-Taylor Green was killed at the Giffords shooting, told the Arizona Daily Star that gun safety should be considered something beyond just a political party contention. “It didn’t start with Sandy Hook. It didn’t start with the Gabby Giffords shooting. This has been going on for a really, really long time,” Green said.

“I want it to be known that my family is working toward collaboration. I’m not anti-gun. My husband grew up on a farm. We own guns,” Green shared. “We’re not trying to come for your guns. We just want common sense gun legislation to save lives.”

Romero will consult with groups in the Tucson community about gun safety, including March for Our Lives Arizona, the Survivor Network and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense.